Sabbath Thought - Passover Meaning

We are, of course, two and one-half weeks away from Passover (the evening of April 4th) and the beginning of God's of God's festivals and Holy Days for the coming year.

Passover is first mentioned in Exodus 12 as instruction was given to the fledgling nation of Israel.  The symbols and instruction God gave to Israel showed them what they needed to do to be "passed over" by the death angel - so they would die because of the sins of Egypt (a type of the world, and even ourselves apart from God).

If we fast-forward some 1,400 years, Jesus Christ, on the night before His crucifixion, instituted new symbols for the Passover - from the family meal to the symbols of the bread, the wine and the foot-washing (Mark 14:22-26, John 13:1-17).  The early church followed His example, and keeping the Passover on the 14th of the first month on the Hebrew calendar is a hallmark of faithful Christians down through time until today.

The symbols Jesus used are powerful statements of what He did for all of mankind and how we are to emulate His character in these symbols.  The foot-washing represents service - as Christ came to serve (Matthew 20:25-28) He set the example for us to serve one another in humility.  The bread pictures His broken body (Matthew 26:26), a sacrifice and payment for our sins so that we can have a relationship with the Father, and so that our sins can be "passed over".  The wine represents His blood for us (Matthew 26:27-28) so that we can be part of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6-13, 12:24).

Passover is important for us to consider and imperative for baptized members to observe.  The Passover service is a reminder of the covenant we made with the Father at our baptism - made possible by the sinless sacrifice of His Son.  And while the Passover service is very solemn as we consider the meaning and reality of that evening, it is also a time of great joy!  We are now the children of God and heirs to eternal life!  The Passover service is a re-acknowledgement of our repentance before baptism, of our recognition of the need to have Jesus Christ living in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and of our sincere desire to continue in our calling to become a complete member of the family of God.

Knowing all of what the New Covenant Passover represents in our relationship and calling from the Father, the United Church of God teaches (as the Church of God has done for hundreds of years) that participating in the New Covenant Passover is only for baptized members of the Body of Christ. 

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to son-ship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."  The Spirit [itself] testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory," (Romans 8:14-17, NIV).

As we eventually gather to participate in the Passover, let us remember everything that Christ did for us so that we can be sons and daughters - heirs - of the great God of the universe!

I wish you a profitable and value filled Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

17 March, 2023